Work Experience

What are work placements/experience?Work placements are a period of supervised work, where students have the opportunity to experience working in a specific role within a company.

Work placements are carried out on the employers’ premises.

Students will carry out a range of tasks or duties; as would an employee; but with the emphasis on the learning aspects of the experience.

Work placements offer students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of and be more prepared for life in the workplace.

Work placements are available to all students and authorised on an individual basis.

Why are work placements important?Work placements can contribute to a student’s careers education, personal development and social skills acquisition. They also help students in their understanding of a particular subject or course and the gaining of key skills for a specific career.

These opportunities introduce learners to the world of work and improve the employability of young people.

Colleges and Universities are increasingly looking for evidence that students have undertaken a satisfactory work placement.

How are they organised?

The school considers work placements on an individual basis.

Students need to identify a potential employer in an industry relevant to their career ideas.

Students to approach and speak to the potential employer to organise their work placement.

Students to provide details of the potential work placement to the Careers Coordinator for each placement to be authorised.

All work placements will be carried out during school holidays.

What happens during work placement?Employers are asked to provide the following during work placements:

A planned programme of work which introduces learners to the workplace.

Set tasks for students to carry out.

Time for students to observe tasks and activities.

Opportunities for students to review their experience.

MonitoringThe school will monitor progress during placements and review the experience on return to school.

Health & SafetyBoth the school and employer take reasonable care to ensure that work placements meet certain standards in terms of health and safety and insurance arrangements. All placements receive a pre-placement visit from a health and safety qualified member of school staff.

Organising your child’s work placementIf assisting in the organisation of a work placement for your child; you will need to ensure that the work placement organisation has relevant Health & Safety and Insurance arrangements in place.

In exceptional circumstances, when there is no opportunity for a Health & Safety check by the school; and the student still wishes to attend; then the school will require parents or guardians to sign a disclaimer in full knowledge that the school has no liability should anything happen.

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